Petunia plant named `Sunbelochipi`

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a petunia plant, having a semi-decumbent habit plant having long stems. The petunia plant has over-abundant branching, particularly secondary branching is strong, and great profusion blooms, the whole bush remaining in bloom for a considerable period of time. The flowers are single and very small, the petals having a vivid purplish red color, and the bottom color of the corolla throat is strong yellow and the outside color of corolla tube is light greenish yellow. The plant has a high resistance to rain, heat, drought and pest.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of petuniaplant obtained from the crossing of a wild type of petunia plant called"C1" (♀) native to Brazil and the other wild type of petunia plantcalled "C2" (♂) native to Brazil.

The petunia is a very popular plant and is used for flower bedding andpotting in the summer season. There are only a few varieties of thepetunia plant which do not have an upright growth habit and which have ahigh resistance to rain, heat, cold, and diseases. The petunia which wepreviously filed, i.e., the "Revolution" series (Revolution Purplepink(U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,915), Revolution Brilliantpink (U.S. Plant Pat.No. 6,914), Revolution Brilliantpink-mini (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,899)!is decumbent type plant having long stems, a lower plant height,abundant branching, and a high resistance to heat, cold and rain.However, there are only a few varieties having a great profusion offlowers, vivid purplish red color color and very small flower and a highresistance to rain, heat, cold and diseases. Accordingly, this inventionwas aimed at obtaining a new variety having a vivid purplish red colorand very small flower, together with the above features.

The new variety of petunia plant according to this invention originatedfrom crossing a wild type of petunia plant called "C1" (♀) native toBrazil and the other wild type of petunia plant called "C2" (♂) nativeto Brazil.

First of all, 167 seedling were obtained from crossing a wild type ofpetunia plant called "C1" as female parent and the other wild type ofpetunia plant called "C2" as pollen parent in November, 1992. From thiscrossing 15 seedlings were selected in view of decumbent habit andflower color in spring, 1993. And then 30 seedlings were obtained from acrossing of these selected 15 seedlings in summer, 1993 and were grown.Then 16 seedlings were selected from these 30 seedlings. These selected16 seedlings were carried out a trial by flower potting and bedding. Thebotanically characteristics of the finally-selected 16 plants were thenexamined, using similar variety "Pearl Sky Blue" for comparison, fromspring, 1994 to spring,1995. Finally the only one petunia plant wasselected in April, 1995. As a result, it was concluded that this petuniais distinguishable from any other variety, whose existence is known tous, sufficiently uniform and stable in its characteristics, then thisnew variety of petunia plant was named "Sunbelchipi".

In the following description, the color-coding is in accordance with theHorticultural Color Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London,England (R.H.S. Color Chart), and the Inter-Society color Council-NationBureau of Standard Color Name (I.S.C.C.-N.B.S. Color Name). A colorchart based on The Japan Color Standard for Horticultural Plant (J.H.S.Color Chart) is also added for reference.

The female parent use in the crossing of "Sunbelchipi" was a wild typeof petunia plant called "C1" (♂) native to Brazil, the seeds of whichwere gathered at Gramado, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil and introduced toJapan in January, 1992. The petunia plant "C1" having a erect habitplant, an abundant branching, great profusion blooms, flowers are singleand small, the petals having a purplish pink color, leaf shape iselliptic, and a high resistance to rain, heat, drought and pest.

The pollen parent use in the crossing of "Sunbelchipi" was other wildtype of petunia plant called "C2" (♂) native to Brazil, the seeds ofwhich were gathered at Gramado, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil and introducedto Japan in January, 1992. The petunia plant "C2" having asemi-decumbent habit plant having long stems, an over-abundantbranching, great profusion blooms, flowers are single and very small,the petals having a reddish purple, leaf shape is lanceolate, and a highresistance to rain, heat, drought and pest. These wild type of petuniaplants "C1" and "C2" are presently maintained at the Plant BiotechnologyLaboratory of Suntory Ltd., residing at 863-1, Aza-Iketani, Oomori-cho,Youkaiti-shi, Shiga-ken, Japan.

The similar variety "Pearl Sky Blue" used for examination as acomparison are as follows.

Plant:

Growth habit.--Medium upright.

Plant height.--14 cm.

Spreading area of plant.--15-17 cm in diameter.

Blooming period.--April to September in the southern Kanto area, Japan.

Stem:

Thickness.--2.7 mm.

Pubescence.--Much.

Branching.--Abundant.

Length of internode.--1.3 cm.

Leaf:

Shape.--Elliptic.

Length (average).--5.5 cm.

Width (average).--3.5 cm.

Color.--Strong yellow green (R.H.S. 144A, JHS 3507).

Pubescence.--Much.

Thickness.--0.5-0.6 mm.

Leaf attaching angle to stem.--Horizontal to droopy.

Flower:

Facing direction.--Upward.

Type.--Single.

Shape.--Funnel-shape, with five-fissured limb.

Shape of petal tip.--Obverse.

Waving of petal.--Week.

Lobation of petal.--Shallow.

Diameter.--5.5 cm.

Color.--Petal: Strong bluish purple (R.H.S. 83C, JHS 8310). Bottom colorof the corolla throat and the outside color of corolla tube: lightyellow green (R.H.S. 3D, JHS 3304).

Reproductive organs.--1 normal pistil and 5 normal stamens.

Peduncle.--0.7-0.9 mm in thickness, and 2.7 cm in length.

Physiological and ecological characteristics: Moderate resistance toheat, cold and disease and pest. Strong resistance to rain.

This new and distinct variety of petunia plant, "Sunbelchipi", wasasexually reproduced by cutting at the aforementioned the PlantBiotechnology Laboratory of Suntory Ltd., and the homogeneity andstability thereof were confirmed.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

The new variety of petunia plant has a semi-decumbent habit, long stemsand vivid purplish red flower petal and thus is very different from asimilar variety, "Pearl Sky Blue". The plant has semi-decumbent habit,plant shape is compact, over-abundant branching and great profusionblooms, and the whole bush remains in bloom for a considerable period oftime. Especially secondary branching is strong. The flower are singleand very small, which is clearly distinguished from small flower of"Pearl Sky Blue" and the petals having a vivid purplish red, which isclearly distinguished from strong bluish purple of "Pearl Sky Blue". Thebottom color of the corolla throat is strong yellow and the outsidecolor of corolla tube is light greensih yellow. The plant has a highresistance to rain, heat, drought and pest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a photograph giving a partial view of the new variety ofpetunia plant planted in a flower pot;

FIG. 2 is a photograph of flowers of the new variety of petunia plant.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The botanical characteristics of the new and distinct variety of petuniaplant "Sunbelchipi" are as follows.

Plant:

Growth habit.--Decumbent to medium.

Plant height.--15-16 cm.

Spreading area of plant.--The stem extends to length of 11-13 cm fromthe base.

Growth.--Very vigorous with abundant branching, a great profusion ofblooms; the whole bush remaining in bloom for a considerable this periodof time.

Blooming period.--April to late October in the southern Kanto area,Japan. The plant shape does not change throughout this period.

Stem:

Thickness.--2.3 mm.

Pubescence.--Normal.

Branching.--Over-abundant. Particularly secondary branching is verystrong.

Length of internode.--1.4 cm.

Leaf:

Shape.--Lanceolate.

Length.--5.1 cm.

Width.--1.6 cm.

Color.--Dark yellow green. (R.H.S. 146A, JHS 350 8 ).

Thickness.--0.2-0.4 mm.

Pubescence.--Few.

Leaf attaching angle to stem.--Slantly upward to horizontal.

Flower:

Facing direction.--Horizontal.

Type.--Single.

Shape.--Funnel-shape, with five-fissured limb.

Shape of petal tip.--Medium.

Waving of petal.--Week.

Lobation of petal.--Shallow.

Diameter.--2.8-2.9 cm.

Color.--Petal: Vivid purplish red (R.H.S. 57C, JHS 9707). Bottom colorof the corolla throat: Strong yellow (R.H.S. 9A, JHS 2513). Outsidecolor of corolla tube: Light greenish yellow (R.H.S. 5C, JHS 2904).

Reproductive organs.--1 normal pistil and 5 normal stamens. Both normal.

Peduncle.--0.7-0.8 mm in thickness, and 1.9 cm in length.

Physiological and ecological characteristics: High resistance to rain,heat, drought and pest, especially resistance to rain and heat is verystrong.

This new variety of petunia plant is most suitable for flower beddingand potting, particularly in hanging pots or planters, and furtherexcellent for ground cover.

The plant of this new variety "Sunbelchipi" is presently planted andmaintained at the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory of Suntory Ltd.,residing at 863-1, Aza-Iketani, Oomori-cho, Youkaiti-shi, Shiga-ken,Japan.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of petunia plant, substantiallyas herein illustrated and described, characterized particularly as tonovelty by (A) being a semi-decumbent habit plant having long stems, (B)an over-abundant branching, particularly secondary branching is strong,and great profusion blooms, the whole bush remaining in bloom for aconsiderable period of time, (C) flowers are single and very small, thepetals having a vivid purplish red color, and the bottom color of thecorolla throat is strong yellow and the outside color of corolla tube islight greenish yellow and (D) a high resistance to rain, heat, droughtand pest.